Archives
Welcome to the archives of Better Cities & Towns, a publication founded by Robert Steuteville as New Urban News in 1996. This archive holds two decades of the best news and analysis on compact, mixed-use growth and development, from 1996 to 2015.
The City Council in Redwood City, California, has approved a plan for revitalizing its downtown. The design by Field Paoli Architects of San Francisco proposes two new structures, covering two city blocks, that will house 80,000 square feet of...
Brad Shapiro, an architect with Looney Ricks Kiss of Memphis for the past 12 years, has formed his own firm, Shapiro & Company Architects also based in Memphis. The firm’s emphasis will be on TND architecture. Shapiro’s work includes designs for...
The US Department of Housing and Urban Development has chosen CNU to run an award program, “The New Face of America's Public Housing.” It will recognize HOPE VI projects that best demonstrate innovation and leadership in the transformation of...
Australia and New Zealand are making their own way along a new urbanist path.
While Australia and New Zealand share many of the challenges facing North America, there are also some important differences in both context and outcomes. Proactive...
Building homes the old-fashioned way yields lucrative returns in North Carolina.
A development of new homes in a historic city neigh borhood riddled with vacant lots would seem an unlikely candidate for a 42 percent rate of return on investment...
Density is a crucial factor when measuring the environmental impact of development, because it affects land consumption, stormwater runoff, automobile usage, and transit usage. There is much misunderstanding on this subject, mostly because density...
Six years ago, the American Planning Association kicked off a major initiative aimed at helping states modernize planning law and manage change. APA staff decided to assemble a legislative guidebook for states and localities addressing issues from...
The mayor of Pittsburgh has dropped a controversial $480 million downtown redevelopment project called Market Place that would have gutted or razed 61 buildings and displaced up to 125 existing businesses. Mayor Tom Murphy has appointed a task force...
The now abandoned Robert Mueller Municipal Airport in Austin, Texas, lies only three miles from downtown and has been the focus of a redevelopment effort since 1996. A master plan was recently completed by Roma Design Group of San Francisco for the...
American CityVista, a venture between former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros and builder Kaufman & Broad (see October/November 2000), has begun its first residential development, Lago Vista in San Antonio, Texas. The company plans to build 600...
Michael Medick, an architect and town planner formerly with Looney Ricks Kiss and CHK Architects and Planners (now Torti Gallas/CHK), has formed Medick + Associates in Baltimore. The firm offers architectural design and implementation services for...
The Community Building Program at the University of Miami (see January/February 2001 issue) has announced the 12 participants in its Knight fellowship program. The fellows meet six times during the year with community leaders, guest speakers, and...